More From the Penland Weekend

Here are a few more pics from my trip up to Penland.

Above: Looking at pots in Micheal Kline's yard.  MK had put the pots out for his studio sale a few weeks ago. Since then the grass has grown so it was a bit like searching for four leaf clovers.

Soda fired porcelain at Gay Smith's pottery.

A tall vase at Stan Anderson's studio.

Michael Hunt (in red) talking to students in front of the showroom.

Recent pots from the Hunt/Dalgish kiln.

Pots from Shawn Ireland's latest wood firing.

More of Shawn's pottery.  Shawn will be having a Home Sale this Friday, Sat, and Sun during the Trac Studio tour.

Stanley Mace Anderson

Ronan took his class out to visit several potter's studios in the Penland area while I was there.  I was excited to hear that they were going out to Stanley Mace Anderson's pottery, so I decided to go along too.

Stan is an icon in the majolica world.  He's been producing his unique style of majolica pottery since the late 70's. (See article HERE).

Stan was very generous and talked to us all about his pots and process.  I love Stan's brushwork and the expressive quality of his forms and decoration.  He had shelves of work waiting to be decorated.

He had been working here at his wheel on some trays when we arrived.

This next image is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in a workshop. Stan's pots of colored stains.  I imagine these have been 'growing' here as they have been used over the past 2+ decades.

There were also shelves full of finished works.  Cups, yunomi, bowls of various sizes, many, many plates, platters, and other tableware.  All useful, all beautiful and rich in color.  I had to have a yunomi.

Stan shared that he has been brushing some white slip onto the work at the leather hard stage. This is not normally done in majolica.  The slip is loosely brushed over certain areas and sometimes he will scratch through it.  The slip gives some sense of movement under the majolica glaze and the marks give some texture.  I thought this was really brilliant.

I totally fell in love with the separately thrown and added foot on the yunomi.

I'll be trying this soon.  Stan also does this on some tall footed bowls and tureens, as well as ewers and tall teapot forms.

This is the first majolica pot I have ever bought!!  I am happy that it's one of Stan's and I'm pretty sure next time I go back I'll be getting a plate.

 

Bluebird workhorse

This is the list I'm currently working on.  These pots are for the Carolina Pottery Festival which is Nov. 14th.  here in Shelby.  I'm moving right on through the list thankfully.

I decided about a month ago to forgo mixing clay this fall and winter and use a commercial blend.  It's from Highwater Clays and called Stan's Red.  I had gone through 500 lbs of it back in late summer and liked it a lot.  I'm pretty sure it's named after Stanley Mace Anderson.  My slip and glaze fit it well and I like the color of the bare clay.   I ordered a ton a couple weeks ago, so I'm pretty well stocked.

Below is my little workhorse!  I bought this Bluebird 440 pugmill very early on in my pottery career.  My mentor, Tom Gray, recommended it and I've never regretted spending the money.

I use this guy every day that I throw.  If I need to soften up my clay I just slice it up and put the slices in a bucket of water.  I pull the clay out a slice at a time  and run it through.  Just the extra bit of water on the surface of the slices is usually enough to get the clay just how I like it.  I can also stiffen up clay by putting it in a bucket with fireclay or ball clay and running it through.  (Tom taught me the trick with the water, and I saw Warren Mackenzie doing the trick w. the dry clay).

I use this machine for reclaim too.  All my scraps go in 5 gallon buckets of water.  When it's all good and wet I move the slop to old bisque fired bowls lined with a scrap of sheet.  The clay  sits there until it firms up and then I run that through the mill with some new clay.  No waste!

I'd recommend a pugmill to anyone.  It saves time and money and your wrists.  I hardly wedge anything under 8 lbs.  I just slice the clay off the pug and smack it into a ball.

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